Washington Center for Equitable Growth — Automatic Stabilizers Conference

[Macroeconomic Stabilization Policy] Grant investigator: Alexander Berger This page was reviewed but not written by the grant investigator. Washington Center for Equitable Growth staff also reviewed this page prior to publication. The Open Philanthropy Project recommended a grant of $100,000 to the Washington Center for Equitable Growth to host a conference, in partnership with the Hamilton Project, on a framework for thinking about optimal design of automatic stabilizer programs as well as specific suggestions for reforms. Automatic fiscal stabilizers are taxes and government programs that respond automatically to changing economic conditions, and do not require additional Congressional action. We believe they are important for mitigating the effects of economic downturns. The conference will bring together macroeconomists who are interested in automatic stabilizers as a way to fight recession and academics and advocates who focus on the mechanics of various programs, such as the unemployment insurance system, and will hopefully complement work in this area by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. This falls within our focus area of macroeconomic stabilization policy.